When the biggest game-ending prayer in Jaguars' history was answered two years ago at EverBank Field, the consensus among the benefactors of that 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from David Garrard to Mike Thomas was it would jump-start this franchise.

It also left the Houston Texans, who lost 31-24 on the game's final play when safety Glover Quin batted the ball into Thomas' waiting arms, wondering if they could rise to being better than just average.

Remarkably, the 1-8 Jaguars and 8-1 Texans find themselves on the exact opposite ends of the NFL spectrum Sunday when they renew their AFC South rivalry at Reliant Stadium. The desperation heave by Garrard has become a forgotten footnote, another reminder of how carry-over in this league is as unpredictable as a Kardashian's next drama moment.

The Jaguars won three of their next four post-Hail Mary games, putting them in position to capture their first division title since 1999 by beating the Indianapolis Colts. Not only did that not happen, but virtually everything for this franchise has diminished since.

Thomas, who had a career-high eight catches for 149 yards against Houston that day, was traded to the Detroit Lions last month for lack of productivity. Garrard was released five days before the 2011 season opener after an up-and-down preseason. And here's something else that's no longer a part of the Jaguars: winning.

A team that thought it was ascending during the second half of 2010 has now lost 22 of its last 28 games, tying with the Cleveland Browns for the worst NFL record during that stretch. Who would have thought a franchise within one victory of an AFC South title could see things fall apart so quickly?

"The way that [2010] season was going, I thought [beating Houston on the Hail Mary] would catapult us to the playoffs," said Garrard. "We were really close to winning the division. Then for the team to get five wins the next year and I'm not on the team, I never would have thought things would go that way."

Flipping to the other side, nothing stayed the same for the Texans either. Since that Hail Mary pass helped send them to last place in the division, they are 18-7 and won the franchise's first playoff game.

By electing to keep head coach Gary Kubiak, who then hired defensive coordinator Wade Phillips after the 2010 season, Houston has arguably improved more than any NFL team besides the San Francisco 49ers. Phillips changed the culture of the Texans' defense, which received an immense boost by selecting J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed in the next draft.

The Texans are universally regarded as a Super Bowl contender, just two years after being stuck on a train of mediocrity. Meanwhile, the level of despair for the Jaguars is at an all-time low. They're in need of a lot more than a Hail Mary pass.